Sometimes the very essence of why you started something also becomes the only thing that eludes you and I find myself in this painful situation.

Over the last few months there have been moments of absolute listlessness and helplessness and sudden sparks of inspiration too but the former somehow stuck out like a sore thumb. It has of course got to do with finding new weavers and working out new channels of retailing the products too. The recent demonetisation move by the Government also has brought about an economic blockade but hopefully thats something temporary.Although its not the dead end, in fact far from it, I do have to stop and reflect and look ahead now.

Its time to rethink, revaluate and restructure the road towards building a better tomorrow. So I’ll take leave from this platform for a short while before I’m back with something new and I’ll be back for sure.

A new day beckons and new opportunities await subtly egging me on. Thats the way I felt after the very charming Monica Ingudam interviewed me for her podcast Finding the Voices. Finding the Voices(FtV) is an endeavour to present the voices of people of Manipur to a global audience and I was truly honoured and absolutely delighted when Monica asked me to be one of the guest speakers in her show!

Here’s the link for the podcast interview : https://findingthevoices.com/2016/06/25/tamphaoinamgupta/

I watched the final edited interview while I was feeling a little low but by the end of it, I was re-energised to get back right up and keep going on this journey. I hope that by speaking about Kone Wovens, I’ll be able to raise more awareness of Manipuri textiles and it’ll in turn inspire more weavers in Manipur to return to their looms.

Introducing our latest range of products for the kitchen and dining room! The kitchen towels are available in 4 colours – light pink, salmon pink, green and blue. The striped pattern is a continuation of the stripes that have been used in the handwoven towels.

The kitchen towel can also be used as a napkin as its smaller in size than the usual kitchen towels but its just as handy. Its made with 100% cotton and all the edges are hand finished by my mother!

Its most gratifying to share the new products. There have been plenty of challenges with regards to shipping, raw material availability and weavers being unavailable too in the past year but it only made my resolve stronger to continue. This week I’ll also be introducing the latest product in our range as a trial to see the response for it.

2015 had been a quietly eventful year. Lots of changes occurred and amidst that I realised I wasn’t able to dedicate as much time to Kone Wovens as I wanted to. 2016 feels promising already as I prepare for a photoshoot for my latest range of towels and a new product launch.

Meanwhile in Manipur, the year started with the earth shaking beneath everyone’s feet. There were some fatalities and unfortunately even parts of the iconic Ima Keithel or Mother’s Market also fell prey to the earthquake. It was a tough reminder of how fragile and impermanent everything is. My heart goes out to all the Ima’s who now have to sit exposed to the vagaries of the weather. Hopefully the government will erect a safer and stronger structure to host the Keithel in due time.

The new year holds many promises and I’m looking forward to all it has to offer.

It’s been awhile since I last posted. In between a house move and change in day jobs, it’s been a bit manic. It didn’t help in between that there was a whole lot of turmoil in my native land with widespread violence and protests and lots of heartbreaking news midst it all that prevented postal services to be hindered.

The latest batch of towels have finally arrived after all the waiting and it’s such a delight to be able to hold them now! My Abok(grandmother) seems to have been quite hard at work as always and what an excellent selection of towels have come our way. Of course she did take artistic liberties and created a couple of towels as per her desire and I will put them up for sale on my ETSY shop.

I’ll also be introducing a new range of kitchen towels next month hopefully in time for Christmas!

Kone Wovens is happy to announce its latest promotion for the Summer season. Its valid till the 30th June 2015!!! Spend a minimum of £11 and get a 33% discount on your Kone Wovens purchase! Use the coupon code: SUMMERFUN2015 to avail this discount!! Shipping is free within the UK.